Stu Cowan: World Cup coming to Montreal in 2026 is a 'Bloody Big Deal'

But there are reasons to be skeptical about a new retractable roof on Olympic Stadium with an estimated price of more than $200 million.

Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette

Updated: June 13, 2018

Impact executive vice-president Richard Legendre, left, and former Canadian international player as well as ambassador for the United 2026 bid Patrice Bernier speak to the media after the successful bid and awarding of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Canada, Mexico and the United States.Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Uber driver who took me from downtown to the Impact’s Centre Nutrilait practice centre Wednesday morning asked if I knew Saphir Taïder.

I told the driver I didn’t know the Impact’s designated player personally, but that I was a journalist and covered the team. When the driver asked if there was any way he could get Taïder’s autograph, I told him the Impact wasn’t practising Wednesday morning at Centre Nutrilait because they had a game at night at Saputo Stadium. I then explained I was going to Centre Nutrilait to cover a news conference about the FIFA World Cup coming to Montreal in 2026.

The driver turned and looked at me in total shock. At first he didn’t believe me and then his face lit up as he talked excitedly about how he was Algerian — Taïder plays for the Algerian national team — and how it would be a dream come true to go watch a World Cup game live with his father in 2026, especially if Algeria was playing.

The reaction was probably very similar for soccer fans across the city with a connection to countries madly in love with the “beautiful game” who will be packing Montreal’s sports bars for the next month, starting tomorrow when this year’s World Cup kicks off in Russia. In 2026, those fans will be able to watch at least three World Cup games live at Olympic Stadium as Canada co-hosts the tournament with the United States and Mexico. Other games in Canada will be played in Toronto and Edmonton.

To borrow the slogan Toronto FC used after signing English Premier League star Jermain Defoe ahead of the 2014 MLS season, this is a “Bloody Big Deal”. Hopefully for Montreal, it works out better than Defoe did in Toronto.

A new retractable roof, estimated to cost between $200 million and $300 million, and a grass playing surface will be added to Olympic Stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will definitely have many Montrealers shaking their heads. But Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard had already announced last November that the provincial government had given the go-ahead to spend at least $200 million to replace the roof and Montreal city councillor Rosannie Filato said Wednesday that the World Cup games should generate an estimated $200 million for the city.

Whether Montrealers like it or not, we’re stuck with the Big O money pit and the World Cup games are a way to finally generate some money out of the place. Filato said the retractable roof will also allow the city to attract other major sports events, including the Grey Cup.

The key, of course, will be to build a roof that actually works this time and can last through our winters. Also, hopefully the price estimate is correct. History gives us reason to be very skeptical on both fronts. But for now we can hope the new roof will work and soccer fans in this country can hope Canada actually gets to play in the 2026 World Cup. The host country normally gets an automatic berth, but with three countries hosting for the first time in 2026 there’s no guarantee Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will all get in. But again there is hope because the World Cup will expand from 32 teams to 48 in 2026 so there should be room for three host nations.

The last time Canada qualified for the World Cup was 1986 and retired Impact captain Patrice Bernier was only 7, but he still remembers watching the games on TV with his father. Early Wednesday morning, Bernier watched on TV with his 10-month-old son as FIFA announced that United 2026 had won the World Cup bid.

“I was ecstatic,” said Bernier, an ambassador for United 2026 who is now an assistant coach with the Impact Academy teams, working with players from the U14 to U19 level. “I was with my son and I realized that in eight years I could be going to a World Cup game with him. I can sell him the dream just like my father sold me the dream of international soccer by watching the World Cup.”

Bernier played for the Canadian national team but his dream of playing in the World Cup never came true. He’s hoping that dream can come true for young Canadian players who now have eight years to build toward 2026.

“It’s a great day for them,” Bernier said about his Impact Academy players. “Now they have an academy that allows them to dream of becoming a professional, step by step. And now in eight years, if you do things well and you play for the Montreal Impact you could also be on the national team and you could be training at home and playing at home on the world stage.

“The World Cup is the biggest stage,” Bernier added. “It’s the biggest event for a single sport. After that it’s the (summer) Olympics, which is several sports. Everybody watches the World Cup. Billions of people watch it and the world stops to watch soccer. So in 2026, the world will be in Montreal and Canada watching, and all eyes will be on us.”

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.